The 35th Session of the D-8 Commission was formally inaugurated by H.E. Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of the Foreign Affairs on 10 June 2014. Commissioners and delegates from Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey engaged in an extensive and fruitful meeting in a cordial atmosphere in Islamabad.

Syed Fatemi welcomed the delegates from eight brotherly countries and hoped that the proceedings of the meeting would yield fruitful outcome for the Organization. He recalled that establishment of this inter-governmental institution entailed invigoration of multiple issues common to the member states. He hoped that the Commission meeting would review the plan of action and its follow-up implementation so that the outcome was effectively translated into the public domain. He stressed on the need to fully implement the agreements and instruments already concluded by the member states in order to realize benefits from them. He appreciated the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) process and hoped that the EPG would come up with recommendations for better performance of the Organization. He made particular reference to the need to augment human and financial resources of the Secretariat in order for it to function properly.

The meeting presided over by H.E. Mr. Babar Hashmi, the Commissioner of Pakistan and the current Chair, discussed a host of issues on different and various agenda items including, among others, review of the current activities and engagements, intensification of economic cooperation through implementation of the provisions of various agreements and institutional mechanisms, updating the statutory documents for a more functioning Secretariat etc. They focused on the need to facilitate cooperation on sectoral issues in order to take the Organization’s agenda for economic cooperation forward.